Brooklyn, N.Y. — An emotional Jabari Parker had to take some time to compose himself after being selected No. 2 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in Thursday's NBA draft.

"I worked so hard, and I'll keep working hard," he said as he wiped away tears while walking down the hallway for his first interviews as a pro player.

The 19-year-old from Chicago was the player the Bucks really wanted. And as he said so directly on Wednesday, he wanted to be with the Bucks because they were "all in" on him.

"They're a young team and I feel I can contribute right off the bat," Parker said on draft night. "I feel like I'm going to be able to grow with that organization. I'm trying to be a throwback player and only stick with one team.

"This might bite me in the butt some years from now, but right now I just want to stick with whoever is rolling with me."

Andrew Wiggins went first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending the suspense about the Bucks' pick.

It was the way both Milwaukee and Parker had hoped it would work out.

"We're through the moon," said Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry. "We couldn't be happier. He's a great kid; he's ready to play. I think for us, we got exceptionally lucky that we got somebody who wants to play for Milwaukee and somebody we wanted to end up having."

The 6-foot-8 Parker said he hoped to join the ranks of the great players in franchise history.

"They really did have a lot of success, especially in the old days with Lew Alcindor, the Big O (Oscar Robertson), even in the '90s when they made the playoffs with Sam Cassell.

"I just want to be remembered as one of them, too, since I'm going to the Bucks."

Parker brings a versatile offensive game to the Bucks and should be able to play both forward positions. If the Bucks use Parker at power forward with the defensive-minded Giannis Antetokounmpo at small forward, they could have an intriguing young combination.

"You can put the ball in his hands and he can get a shot and win a game for you," Bucks general manager John Hammond said.

"If a guy knows how to play on the offensive end, he knows how to play on the defensive end, too. He'll figure it out, and it won't take him very long.

"He's a big guy but he's got great feet, very fast feet, very quick feet for a guy that size. Definitely, I think he's going to guard both positions.

"The talk about Paul Pierce, the Carmelo (Anthony) comparison...we've had a chance to spend quite a bit of time with Jabari, watching him work out. There have been quite a few similarities to Melo. Those are very big shoes to fill, because Melo is one of the best players in the game."

Parker said he can play either forward spot.

"I'm just trying to continue that role I was given by coach K (Mike Krzyzewski)," Parker said of his one season at Duke.

"That's being a complete basketball player...if they want me at the 2, the 1, the 5. Be able to fit in all slots and be able to contribute in the best ways.

"Giannis is very young, only a year older than me. We get a chance to grow together."

Hammond said he sees great potential in the Antetokounmpo-Parker combination.

"It's two young guys, two 19-year-old players," Hammond said. "I think it fits very well together. You look at Giannis, with his size (at 6-11), I think you can do things with he and Jabari at the forward positions.

"Giannis wants to be a distributor. He isn't looking to score. He needs to score but he's very willing to give up the ball.

"If we are going to become what we want to become, those guys need to do that — two of the top forwards in the NBA playing together."

The selection of Parker was just the start of a busy night for the Bucks, who had the 31st and 36th picks early in the second round.

The Bucks picked 6-8, 240-pound forward Damien Inglis with the 31st selection, the first of the second round, and they grabbed Louisiana State power forward Johnny O'Bryant with the 36th pick. The Bucks obtained the 36th pick, which initially belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers, as part of the Luke Ridnour trade with Minnesota last summer.

Inglis, who has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, played last season with Roanne in France and is from French Guiana. The 19-year-old was ranked No. 26 in the top 100 prospects list by DraftExpress.

O'Bryant, a native of Cleveland, Miss., was an all-Southeastern Conference first team pick for the second straight season. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior for the Tigers.

The Bucks selected Pittsburgh guard Lamar Patterson 48th overall but traded him to Atlanta for a future second-round pick.

Parker went through dozens of interviews in a back room at the Barclays Center but held up well and smiled throughout.

"I'm going to bring everything I've got," Parker said of joining the Bucks. "When I said that I was committed to Duke, I gave them everything I had, and even with my high school (Chicago Simeon Career Academy). So I'm going to try to do the same thing in Milwaukee."

Parker said he is glad to be in the same city as former Duke assistant and new Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski.

"It says a lot having somebody this close to the Duke family, somebody that's going to check on me," Parker said. "He's a great guy and I respect him. I'm a Blue Devil and we try to help each other."

Parker said his journey to a pro career made him think about the love of his parents and the work of the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation, run by his father.

"It gives the kids in the inner city (in Chicago) a little bit more of an outlook," Parker said. "I've had a chance to go there. They don't want to charge the kids. My dad doesn't have any expectations of gaining any fame.

"I just want to help out the kids."

Parker said his emotions surged a few minutes after he was selected as he went through that hallway surrounded by cameras and reporters.

"It was going to happen," he said. "I just didn't want it to happen on national TV. I get really emotional, because I'm passionate about this. I don't look for anything about fame. It was always a goal of mine to be in the NBA."

THE JABARI PARKER FILE

Born: March 15, 1995.

Hometown: Chicago.

High School: Chicago Simeon.

College: Duke

Height: 6 feet 8 inches.

Weight: 240.

Personal: Father, Sonny Parker, was the No. 17 pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1976 NBA draft. He played six seasons for the Warriors, averaging 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 452 games.